Satire and Free Speech Face Legal Battle in India
In a legal dispute involving Baba Ramdev, social media platforms X and Meta Platforms defended the protection of satire, fair comment, and public speech against takedown orders related to personality rights. Ramdev alleges that these platforms are misappropriating his identity for commercial gain, violating his personality rights.
- Country:
- India
On Tuesday, social media platform X argued before the Delhi High Court that satire, fair comment, and public speech should be safeguarded from takedown orders in personality rights cases. Justice Jyoti Singh presided over a lawsuit filed by Baba Ramdev, who claims online platforms are exploiting his image and identity.
Representing X, formerly known as Twitter, the counsel contended that blocking accounts indiscriminately affects freedom of speech. Referring to a meme in Ramdev's lawsuit, the counsel argued that satire is essential to democracy and does not infringe on personality rights. A parody account mimicking Ramdev was also highlighted as protected speech.
Meta Platforms' counsel concurred, expressing that egregious content must show tangible monetization by third parties. He emphasized that news organizations cited in grievances should be sued directly. Some offending content was reportedly removed. Ramdev's representation argued that social platforms should act fairly as ongoing dissemination of manipulated materials harms his reputation.
Google News